---
name: "flip"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "flip"
version: "1.20-5"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/flip"
---

# flip(1)

do newline conversions between \*\*IX and MS-DOS

## NAME

flip, toms, toix - do newline conversions between \*\*IX and MS-DOS

## SYNOPSIS

**flip -h**
 **flip \[ -umvtsbz\] *file* ...**
 **flip \[ -umvtsbz\] -**
 **toix \[ -vtsbz\] *file* ...**
 **toms \[ -vtsbz\] *file* ...**

## DESCRIPTION

**flip** is a file interchange program that converts text file
 formats between \*\*ix and MS-DOS.  It converts lines ending with
 carriage-return (CR) and linefeed (LF) to lines ending with just
 linefeed, or vice versa.  If the special argument "-" is given, input
 is read from stdin and written to stdout.

**flip** has the following features:
 **flip** will normally refuse to convert binary files.  You
 can override this.

When asked to convert a file to the same format that it
 already has, **flip** causes no change to the file.  Thus
 to convert all files to \*\*IX format you can type
\
                     flip -u \*
 and all files will end up right, regardless of whether
 they were in MS-DOS or in \*\*IX format to begin with.
 This also works in the opposite direction.

If a file contains isolated CR characters for
 underlining or overprinting, **flip** does not change them.

**flip** preserves file timestamps.  You can override this.

**flip** preserves file permissions.

**flip** is written in C and will compile and run under
 MS-DOS/Turbo C, 4.3BSD, and System V.

**flip** accepts wildcards and multiple filenames on the command line.

If a user interrupt aborts **flip**, it does not leave
 behind any garbage files or cause corruption of the
 files being converted.

When converting from MS-DOS to \*\*IX format, **flip**
 removes any trailing control Z (the last character in
 the file), but leaves embedded control Z characters
 unchanged.  This minimizes the possibility of
 accidentally converting a binary file that contains a
 control Z near the beginning.  You can override this
 and ask **flip** to recognize the first control Z found as
 end-of-file.

**flip** can be asked to strip the high (parity) bit as it
 converts a file.
 **flip** is normally invoked as:
\
                flip -umhvtb file ...
 One of -u, -m, or -h is required.  Switches may be given
 separately or combined together after a dash.  For example,
 the three command lines given below are equivalent:
\
                flip -uvt \*.c
\
                flip -u -v -t \*.c
\
                flip -u -vt \*.c

On systems that allow a program to know its own name, **flip**
 may be renamed (or linked) to a file called toix 
 for conversion to \*\*IX format, or to a file called toms
 for conversion to MS-DOS format.  When invoked with the name toix or
 toms, **flip** will act as if it were invoked with the -u or -m
 option respectively.

## OPTIONS

- \-u

  Convert to \*\*IX format (CR LF =\> LF, lone CR or LF unchanged, trailing
   control Z removed, embedded control Z unchanged).

- \-m

  Convert to MS-DOS format (lone LF =\> CR LF, lone CR unchanged).

- \-h

  Give a help message.

- \-v

  Be verbose, print filenames as they are processed.

- \-t

  Touch files (don't preserve timestamps).

- \-s

  Strip high bit.

- \-b

  Convert binary files too (else binary files are left unchanged).

- \-z

  Truncate file at first control Z encountered.

## AUTHOR

Rahul Dhesi \<dhesi@bsu-cs.bsu.edu\>.

## SEE ALSO

[**unix2dos**(1)](/unix2dos/1.md),
 [**dos2unix**(1)](/dos2unix/1.md).